"That was incredible... I can't believe Harry Potter actually caught the Golden Snidget with his mouth!"
"Potter really is an excellent Seeker. I thought Gryffindor was done for when his broom broke..."
"I'm certain Gryffindor is going to win the Quidditch Cup this year!"
...
Everyone in the castle was buzzing with excitement, talking non-stop about the dramatic events of the match. Kyle made his way through the crowd without a word, finally slipping back to the Hufflepuff common room, where he found Cedric and Kanna waiting.
As soon as they saw him, Cedric couldn't hold back. "What on earth happened? Why are you just getting back now? And what was that about a phoenix?"
"The phoenix belongs to Professor Dumbledore—it's, well, sort of his pet," Kyle explained. "But it mostly stays in the Headmaster's office, so you rarely get to see it."
Kanna thought about this for a moment. "So the Headmaster was the one looking for you earlier?"
"Yes."
Kyle glanced around to ensure no one else was listening, then lowered his voice and told them what had happened in the restricted area.
"The Three-Headed Dog went completely berserk..."
Cedric blurted out in surprise, then clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing he'd spoken too loudly. "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Kyle replied. "Do you think I'd have just left the match and not come back until now?"
"But who would do something like that?" Cedric asked, frowning. "Using a Confundus Charm and dark magic on a Three-Headed Dog—what good would that do?"
"I don't know..." Kyle shook his head. "Professor Dumbledore hasn't had time to investigate yet."
Despite his words, Kyle's thoughts turned to Quirrell. The restricted area, Fluffy, the guard of the Philosopher's Stone... This all pointed to Quirrell, but Kyle couldn't piece together the man's goal. If Quirrell wanted to get past the trapdoor, angering Fluffy seemed like a pointless move; it would only make things more difficult. And if Fluffy escaped, Hogwarts could be forced to close, ruining any chance Quirrell would have of getting to the Philosopher's Stone.
I just can't figure it out...
"Anyway, it's best if we steer clear of the restricted area for a while," Cedric suggested, a shiver running through him as he imagined the Three-Headed Dog. "If we need to go to the fourth floor, we should avoid that part as much as possible."
"There's no need to be that nervous," Kyle reassured them. "Professor Dumbledore's handling it. Just be careful and stay away from there if you don't have to go."
Hearing Kyle's words, Cedric and Kanna lost all interest in discussing Quidditch, and the three soon went their separate ways.
It wasn't until Kyle had left that Cedric remembered something he hadn't asked. Why had the Headmaster sent for Kyle and not Professor McGonagall when something so dangerous was happening? Could it be because Kyle had worked with Mr. Scamander before and had some knowledge of the Three-Headed Dog?
Cedric looked up.
But by then, Kyle was already gone, out of the common room, and Cedric had missed his chance to ask.
For the next while, Kyle didn't return—not even for dinner. No one knew where he was; it was as if he'd vanished without a trace.
It wasn't until the next afternoon, just before the game, that Cedric finally spotted him again in the changing rooms. Kyle was holding his broom and chatting with Harris.
"Very good, Kyle."
Harris gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, smiling as he said, "I was starting to think you'd be too nervous to sleep, and I'd have to get you a Pepperup Potion."
After some encouraging words from Harris, the team checked their brooms and uniforms one last time before lining up for the start of the match.
The stands were packed as usual, and as last year's champions, Hufflepuff's team was greeted with deafening cheers when they took to the pitch. Kyle noticed, however, that there were far fewer professors in the commentary box than the day before. Apart from Professors McGonagall and Snape, most of the seats were empty.
Seems the professors have also heard about Fluffy, Kyle thought as he walked with the others to the center of the field.
Madam Hooch delivered her usual pre-match pep talk before blowing her whistle.
Fifteen broomsticks soared into the air.
"It's Kyle from Hufflepuff—he's the first to grab the Quaffle!"
Lee Jordan shouted from the commentary box. "He's a newcomer, only joining the team this year, and rumor has it he scored spectacularly in the selection match. I just don't know if he'll be able to... Oh, he passed the ball to the team captain, Harris..."
For some reason, Lee Jordan suddenly adopted a more serious tone. Murmurs of discontent floated up from the stands... the commentary, without any hint of his usual flattery, was not what the crowd wanted to hear. But Lee Jordan ignored them.
After all, he had just spent the entire previous night, until dawn, under Professor McGonagall's strict supervision, copying out an entire book on proper Quidditch commentary. He had nearly collapsed in her office.
It had only been one night; he had to rein it in a bit.
"As we all know, Hufflepuff's Harris is one of the best Chasers, and his coordination with Kyle... Oh my goodness, am I really seeing this? It's a dual attack! Ravenclaw's Keeper misjudged the block, and Kyle has the Quaffle... Goal! Hufflepuff scores! Less than ten seconds into the game... they've set a new record for fastest goal!"
The stands erupted with cheers as fans leaped to their feet, hands in the air.
"Well done!"
On the pitch, Harris flew over and gave Kyle a light slap on the back.
"Perfect teamwork," exclaimed Lee Jordan. "Ravenclaw is in trouble."
As if to prove his point, the rest of the game was soon dominated entirely by Kyle and Harris. Like two unstoppable scoring machines, they sent the Quaffle through the goalposts time and again.
Ravenclaw's Beaters did their best to stop them, but Hufflepuff had anticipated every move, and the Bludgers never even came close to Kyle or Harris.
After just half an hour, the score had reached a ludicrous height.
Hufflepuff: 170. Ravenclaw: 0.
Even Lee Jordan began to feel a little dazed, and as he commented on Ravenclaw's performance, a note of sympathy crept into his voice.
"Poor Wiesner... he's as clueless as the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. Let's hope he can hang on."
It was at that moment that Kyle and Harris realized they might have taken things a bit too far. Harris gave the dazed Ravenclaw Keeper a slightly apologetic look and offered a silent wink.
Kyle nodded, understanding. They planned to ease up a bit and let Ravenclaw score a few points.
But just then…
"Wait a minute, is that the Golden Snidget?"
A glint of gold flashed near the bottom of the pitch. Cedric and Cho both sped downward in unison, racing toward the ground at a breathtaking pace.
But Cedric's broom was just a bit faster than Cho's, and he reached the bottom first.
"I've caught the Snidget!" He raised his arm high, a golden object glinting between his fingers.
The game was over...